Ten-year-old Yehezkiel Roth, who is obsessed with robotics, has recently had the chance to fulfill his dream of visiting the Israel Defence Forces' simulation for robotics and autonomous lab. 

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

His dream came true with the help of the Make a Wish association which helps fulfill the wishes of children with critical illnesses between the ages of 3-18. Established in the United States in 1980, it has fulfilled 500,000 wishes all over the world, with the aim of "bringing the children's innocence and childhood back," and "transforming their tears and fear into laughter and joy."

Although the IDF's robotics unit is quite secretive, Yehezkiel, whose family and friends call him "Hezki," got to see a simulation led by the very team leader of the lab, Omer Greenwald, who showed the boy the technical and design aspects of the work of creating the simulations. 

Hezki also got to try out the robotic arm and the virtual reality headsets, and an explanation of their use, and even visited the part of the lab where the robotics themselves are built. 

Although Hezki is just 10 years old, he seems more mature, like an officer about to retire, or an education or transport minister, which are all professions he dreams of acquiring one day. 

Perhaps it has to do with his life story, which if one wants to hear, he or she will need to dedicate several hours.

Hezki has medulloblastoma, a type of cancerous brain tumor in children. He was diagnosed in January this year, after he began complaining of strong headaches, and several days later, also vomiting. After the doctor ruled out a few options, he suggested Hezki be checked for a brain tumor. 

The diagnosis shocked the family, but, thankfully, the tumor was fully removed by Professor Shlomi Constantini from the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in the span of six surgeries. 

Hezki was born in a Hassidic-Ultra-Orthodox family and lived in Elad in Judea and Samaria with his parents and siblings. At the age of 3, his parents divorced. His mother, Goldi, began questioning religion and eventually settled with the boys in Tel Aviv. Hezki's father, in turn, moved to the Haredi city of Beit Shemesh. 

The boy has a high IQ, which you probably have guessed already, around 134, and during the coronavirus, when many ultra-Orthodox children could not study online, even created a scientific booklet together with his mother for Haredi kids named "Niflaot," which means "wonders" in Hebrew. 

"It explains to children about science, technology, and physics," Hezki explained, saying that genius runs in the family. "My grandfather has a genius mind. He is a lawyer, and could have even become a member of the Knesset … He understands algebra and has even written a book on mathematics."

Hezki did not fall far from the tree and already at the age of two and a half could read. 

"When I began first grade at the age of 6, I was in shock. I was already proficient in reading, and all of a sudden I saw children who could not read at all," he said.

During our interview, Hezki did not shy away from complicated questions either. We spoke about the difference between secular and ultra-Orthodox upbringing, of which he said: "Haredim need to be exposed to more things so that they won't look at the world through their rose-colored glasses. There are children in the world who don't believe in God, and I say that not everyone needs to believe, and if they are forced to, there will be resistance. Haredi children need someone to answer their questions."

Q: And what about secular children?

"They need to start asking questions."

Q: What about yourself?

"I have tons of plans. I want to program and build a root that will help the cars of the future. I want to help in the medical field, for example, to invent sweet medicine and painless needles, and most importantly – I want to build a robot doctor, for it to be programmed to perform surgeries without any medical malpractice. I also want to become the education and transportation minister, because there is always heavy traffic in Tel Aviv, unbearable."

Before all this, Hezki still needs to complete six more treatments, of which he is optimistic, and although I accompanied Hezki to offer support and strength, I feel I walk away from the interview having received more than given. 

Although seventeen-year-old Shani Shayu, who is recovering from cancer, has been exempt from military service, she dreams of joining the IDF ensemble. 

We meet as the Lehakat Hanachal military band is making its final preparations for a concert for outstanding soldiers. 

Shani lives in Holon and is the youngest of three sisters. Her mom, Sophie, works in music psychotherapy. Shani herself is a member of the Bat Yam-based musical band "Kol Hayam," in Hebrew, "The sound of the sea."

When Shani was just 12, about to celebrate her bat mitzvah, she suffered from neck pain. A medical examination revealed she had Ewing sarcoma in her cervical spine, close to the main artery, which doctors could not operate on immediately. Shani began chemotherapy, which shrunk the tumor to an operable size. 

The procedure lasted 12 hours, during which the affected neck vertebra was removed and replaced with a special one made of titanium that had been ordered from the United States.

Afterward, Shani had two more radiation treatments to complete, after which she had to relearn basic movements, such as jumping and walking down the stairs. 

Although she missed a year and a half of school, Shani did not give up. Now in 12th grade, she is a hardworking student who lets no one take pity on her. Wearing a colorful headscarf, she continued to attend occasional medical check-ups, the results of which satisfied the doctors. 

Before the concert, Shani has a chance to speak with members of the military band, and learns about the history of IDF ensembles, and how to submit an application for the band.

It also turns out that being accepted into the band is not easy. According to data, over 16,000 youngsters applied for the ensemble in the past year, of whom only 40 were accepted, but members assure Shani she has an advantage due to her participation in a musical band. 

But this does not discourage Shani, who has already begun preparing for the auditions, although she says that even if she is not accepted, she will be fine, as, in the long run, she plans to study medicine, to be able to help others. 

But in the meantime, she joins the IDF band on stage, and in my unprofessional opinion, fits in perfectly. 

Sixteen-year-old Yuval Danilovich will soon fulfill his dream of taking a parachuting course with paratroopers. In fact, he was scheduled to take the course several months ago, but was then diagnosed with the coronavirus, and so the event was postponed. 

Yuval, who has high-functioning Asperger's, is in 11th grade in a high school in Jerusalem. He is part of a collaborative classroom that includes children with special needs. 

Yuval began to feel unwell shortly after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. He first collapsed when his family went on a hiking trip. Yuval's father, Gavi, thought it had to do with the fatigue that children in Israel in general exhibited due to the national lockdown, but then Yuval began to have blue marks on his back, which the doctor immediately suspected could be leukemia.

Three days after his diagnosis, Yuval began chemotherapy. After completing the treatments, the boy, who always liked extremism, began to think about such outings again. 

Yuval eventually found himself at the Ashkelon bungee jumping facility. And so, not long after undergoing a complicated surgery, Yuval bungee jumped not once, but four times, from a 30-meter height. The doctor was shocked to hear of his adventures, but medical check-ups showed that the boy was fine.

Gabi said for a while, they did not know what was wrong with Yuval, but "the moment we had the diagnosis, it gave us the tools to cope, and the situation changed for the better."

Yuval's school, the family said, is incredibly accepting and supportive. He is well adjusted to society, and does well at school, especially in computers, graphic design, and animation.

Yuval wants to enlist in the IDF, but understands that his condition might prevent him from doing so. The military allows individuals with cancer or Aspergers or leukemia to enlist, but not in Yuval's case, who has both. 

The boy insists he has a lot to give and has even had a meeting with IDF Chief of Staff  Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi to convince him to be allowed to enlist. 

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

I accompany the father and son to the meeting, and the chief of staff introduces himself by his first name and asks Yuval to tell him about himself and his hobbies. 

And so Yuval told Kochavi about drawing, computers, and programming, and the chief explained that the IDF is much more open to the public and that there is no difference between serving and volunteering in the military. So nothing stands in the boy's way of fulfilling his dream of joining the IDF. 

Make A Wish opened its Israeli branch in 1996, and has made the wishes of over 5,300 critically ill Israeli children come true. 

The meeting between Yuval and Kochavi is a good example, because "not only does it change the life of a boy, but also the lives of other children and gives them hope and an important message – that it is a privilege to serve in the IDF, even for children in complicated situations," Denise Bar-Aharon, who co-founded the Israeli branch with her husband Avi said. 

"I get emotional every time I see that there are so many good people who want to donate and do good for these children, especially the IDF Spokesperson initiative to join the efforts, and I am grateful to every unit that took part in this magical project."

The post IDF helps make wish of ailing teens come true appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Getting an interview with Professor Yisrael Aumann required a long courtship. The 2005 Nobel Prize laureate in economics is an admired and important figure in the academic world. But the fact that he is deeply rooted in the religious Zionist world and joined the Likud party ranks at the age of 91 makes him a particularly fascinating interviewee.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter 

The professor does things at his own pace, and he wasn't easy to win over. In WhatsApp chats prior to our interview Aumann showed remarkable technological skills for someone who writes his academic works with an ink pen. Every time I tried to schedule an interview, he asked me to wait a bit until the timing was right. Before Rosh Hashanah, he told me he had rather harsh things to say, and it wasn't the right time to say them ahead of such an important and beautiful holiday.

"So we met on the morning of the eighth candle of Hanukkah and Aumann was more relaxed  "because by the time the article goes to print Hannukah will already be behind us and we will be closer to the fast of the Tenth of Tevet, the date on which the siege of Jerusalem began, before the destruction of the temple that we cry and fast for. That is the time I have chosen to say the things I have to say.

Aumann lives in the Baka neighborhood of Jerusalem. A few years ago, he moved here with his wife from the Rehavia neighborhood where his daughter and her family lived in the apartment opposite. To get to his apartment, you have to go off the main Hebron Road to a small side alley and then go up on an outside elevator that isn't at all characteristic of the area, with its Jerusalem stone-clad exteriors. Inside the elevator, there is a plastic chair for anyone who wishes to sit down on the journey up. When I got to his floor, Aumann was waiting for me at the end of the corridor smiling.

He is alert and looks much younger than his age, He says his health is good and that he likes to eat watercress. As we sit down, I cannot but be in wonder of the huge oil paintings hanging on the walls of the living room depicting major biblical events. The most prominent of them is that of the sons of Jacob coming to their father with the bloodstained robe of their younger brother, Joseph. Jacob, and Miriam, Joseph's mother, gaze up toward the sky, refusing to look at the bloodstained robe.

"I'll call you Aviad, and you can call me Yisrael," says the professor as he walks over to the kitchen to prepare an Indonesian coffee. He likes coffee. "I think I must drink about 10 cups a day," he says. I tell him that coffee came fifth in a recent list of the healthiest drinks. "So perhaps I should start drinking more than 10 cups," he says with a giggle to his wife Batya as she appears from another room.

Batya, 93, seems a little curious about the interview. She stands within hearing distance of us. I take advantage of her presence to tell her about the film "The Woman" starring Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce, which tells the story of a Nobel Prize winner in literature and his wife who for decades keep a secret - that it is she, not her husband, who wrote the literary works that gained him the biggest prize of all.

"That's not the case with us," Batya says with us. But the Aumann's story is no less worthy of a Hollywood movie. His first wife, Esther, with whom Aumann had five children, died in 1998. Seven years later, Aumann asked Esther's sister Batya,  a social worker, for her hand in marriage, and she agreed.

She too has been blessed with sound health and memory. She has two children from her previous marriage, 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She was born in Berlin and came to Israel at the age of five. Her father was a doctor and for 20 years he was the director of the Shaarei Tzedek hospital. He combined medicine with politics as a member of the Agudat Yisrael party, but after the establishment of the state, he became a Religious Zionist. Both she and her husband consider themselves national religious. Together they have 21 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren, with another two on the way.

Aumann isn't wearing a mask face mask, but he does make sure to ask me whether I have been vaccinated three times. I respond affirmatively and he smiles.

Q: Let's talk about the coronavirus, especially about anti-vaxxers. As a man of science, what do you have to say to them? How do you see them?

"Primarily as people who are mad and dangerous. They speak all the time about individual liberties, yet somehow our society treats them with understanding. Individual liberties? What are they talking about? Can I drive at 150 kilometers an hour and endanger my surroundings and then laugh at everyone and say, 'What are you going to do about it?'"

"They are endangering others. You want to kill yourself? Fine, go ahead,  even though here as well, all the anti-vaxxers eventually get infected, become ill and cost the health system a fortune – the health system has to treat them even though they have done everything they can to undermine it. But to endanger others? Whoever heard of such a thing? I'm absolutely livid about all this whole affair.

"People who refuse to be vaccinated should sit at home and ask their children or family to bring them food and take care of them. Take responsibility and save us from having to take responsibility for you. This is unparalleled anarchy."

Q: You said earlier that you chose to speak close to the fast of the Tenth of Tevet. Are you hinting that we live in a period that requires fasting and tears?

"What I want to say is that I am not envious of the young generation, and I say this about my children as well who are more or less your age. I am not envious of you, or my grandchildren or great-grandchildren.  I see dark clouds and darkening skies on the horizon.

"I see what is happening in the world when it comes to antisemitism. It marches hand in hand with being anti-Israel, and to my great sorrow, it is spreading within streams that are considered the bon ton of global society. There was always antisemitism of the extreme Right in the world. But the extreme Right doesn't lead the world and doesn't set the tone. Those who really have influence are the progressives and the moderate Left in America and Europe

"I can see very strong antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment, and it's beginning to be 'okay.' That worries me because I see it in almost all the newspapers in the United States, including in The New York Times, which is a very important and influential paper. I read texts by Peter Beinart in the Times and I am shocked. He is radically anti-Israel.

"It's the same at the universities. I am a graduate of City College in New York. In my time 90 percent of the students were Jewish. Today, it hosts BDS lectures and a group of professors denounced Israel, and the students at the law school denounced Israel. It's completely mainstream to attack us. At Duke University, a group of pro-Israel students asked to be accepted to the student organization and was refused.

"What  I'm worried about is the changing tone of important opinion shapers, not the radicals. They are the generation of the future, not marginal neo-Nazi groups. Look at Bernie Sanders, a Jew who was a candidate for the presidency. I don't want to think what would have happened if he had won and become president. He is a typical anti-Israel Jew."

Q: But we aren't anywhere near the situation of 1930s style antisemitism in Europe that went on to become the Holocaust. We have a strong Jewish state.

"I'm not looking at another holocaust, but we have gone back 100 years to the beginning of the 1920s. Things are more difficult today in the world for Israel and for Jews. I suggest you look at an essay by Mark Twain in which he talks about antisemitic legislation passed in the Austrian Parliament at the end of the 19th century. Twain was pro-Jewish and claimed that that the root cause of antisemitism was economic – people were afraid of losing their livelihood [to the Jews]"

Q: On the other hand, for decades, Israel suffered from a particularly hostile attitude from leading European countries – the  United Kingdom, France, the Soviet bloc –  and that has changed completely. We have opened doors in Paris and London; Angela Merkel was a great friend.

 "You're right, there are also positive changes. But my biggest concern is regarding the young generation, the leadership in 20-30 years from now, that is receiving anti-Israel indoctrination."

Q: Has anyone in America asked for your help?

"Jewish professors have approached me and I sent them a video in which I respond to accusations against Israel. We are spoken of as an apartheid state and I explain that what is happening here is nowhere close to apartheid. On the contrary. Do you remember what happened here last May, when there were disturbances across Israel? Jews were afraid to go into Arab neighborhoods, but Arabs weren't afraid to go into Jewish neighborhoods, and many in fact live in Jewish neighborhoods."

Q: But there were cases in which Jews lynched Arabs.

"True, but they were very few. What about the lynch in Ramallah? Jews entered Ramallah by mistake. Why does it have to end in a lynch?"

Aumann was born in Frankfurt in June 1930 to Miriam and Shlomo. His father was the biggest textile trader in the town. Three months before Kristallnacht in 1938, his parents read the map packed their bags, and moved to the United States.

Before the establishment of the State of Israel, Aumann's family belonged to an ultra-Orthodox anti- Zionist stream. "Their approach stemmed from the fact that the secular were Zionists and there was a need for a debate. The ultra-Orthodox back then were modern in their look and worked for a living. It was only after the Second World War when talk began of a Jewish state in the land of Israel, that my family became Zionist."

After graduating from City College, Aumann went to university, did a doctorate at MIT, and a post-doctorate at Princeton. He received an offer from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and from Bell Labs in New Jersey where the radio was invented and which had produced several Nobel Prize winners. His choice was between a comfortable life in America, near to home, or going to Israel.

His eldest brother, Moshe, had made Aliyah to Israel in 1950 and went on to a successful career in the Foreign Office. Aumann landed in Israel with his first wife, Esther, in the middle of the Sinai Campaign. They made the journey by taxi from what was then Lod Airport (in 1973 it was renamed Ben Gurion Airport)  to Jerusalem in complete darkness because a blackout had been imposed due to fear of an Egyptian bombardment. Aumann's father had died in the United States two years earlier, and his mother came to Israel the following year in 1957.

Yisrael Aumann had five children but only four remain: Tamar, who works in high tech; Yonatan, a professor of computer science; Miriam, an educator; and Noga, a psychologist. His eldest son Shlomo was killed in the First Lebanon War in 1982. "I ask that we call it the Peace for Galilee War," says Aumann.

"It was on the eastern front. Shlomo served as a gunner in the tank corps and his tank took a direct hit from a Syrian ambush. I was told that Shlomo died on the spot. The tank commander was also killed. The only person to survive from his crew was the loader who jumped out and managed to escape.

"Shlomo was a law student at the Hebrew University. His wife, Shlomit, remains like a daughter to me to this day. She remarried her children and had children, who are like my grandchildren. She stepped into Shlomo's shoes and works as a lawyer."

Aumann stares at his watch, and I get the feeling that he has allocated a set time for the interview, but I don't know how much time he has put aside. Later in the day, he has to go out to the university. I ask him if he is going by bus, and he answers: "I drive my car, a 2018 Subaru Forester. There's no problem. Two years ago, I drove from Jerusalem to a hotel in Zichron Yaakov.

"From my apartment, it takes me about 15 minutes to get to the university in Givat Ram, to the Center for the Study of Rationality, of which I was one of the founders. From time to time, I give the occasional lecture at a seminar. The last time I taught a course with lectures was in 2013."

Aumann says that he likes to hike in nature and that he also likes to study Gemara. Until a few years ago he would go skiing once a year for a two-to-three-week holiday. He loves France and would like to spend a weekend in the Loire Valley. I ask him where he would still like to visit and he surprises me by answering Ras Mohamed in southern Sinai. "I was there about 50 years ago. It's a beautiful place that I would like to return to."

I ask Aumann about the most recent terrorist attack in Jerusalem. He wasn't aware of the details because he hardly watches television unless there's a major event. Batya, who watches the screen a little more, updates him on the important things, "mostly political, or when the prime minister speaks." She watches the news on Kan 11 and sometimes on Channel 12.

The professor gets annoyed with me when I ask his opinion of the state of Israel's students in mathematics and sciences.

"People think that if I am a Nobel Prize Laureate in economics, I can tell them whether I'm worried or not about the situation and about how well Israeli students are doing in mathematics. So, I give my regular answer, based on what I see in my private surroundings – my grandchildren and great-grandchildren, I see that my descendants are doing okay." Batya, who throughout the interview has mostly listened, breaks her silence for a moment to interrupt and says, "his grandchildren have very good genes and they are excellent students."

On the living room floor, there is a big colorful sign, which Aumann's great-grandchildren made when he won the prize. The sign read; "For I will bless thee, and multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven. With love. Your great-grandchildren."

Aumann won the Nobel Prize in 2005 together with Professor Thomas Schelling. from Maryland University for "having enhanced our understanding of conflict and cooperation through game-theory analysis,". He was in his room at the university when the announcement came through from the Prize Committee in Stockholm.

"I was in the middle of writing a scientific mail when I was told that an announcement would be made to the media in about 20 minutes. I was happy of course, but I also knew I wouldn't be able to be involved in science for a good few months. So I shut the door from the inside, finished my mail, and sent it."

Q: You spoke about the threat of antisemitism, and I would like to talk to you about the Iranian threat Do you see it as an existential threat to Israel?

"I don't know if it's an existential threat. Was there an existential threat in the Cold War? Because if there was back then, such a threat exists today.

"There was a time many years ago when it would have been possible to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. That is what I have understood. It would have been possible to do what Menachem Begin did when he bombed the Iraqi reactor in 1981. And what Ehud Olmert did in Syria in 2007. It was possible to bomb Iran during Netanyahu's tenure but he didn't act. I don't know what considerations and constraints he had at the time. But the bottom line is, Netanyahu didn't make a move. It could well be that reality didn't allow for an operation.

"Obviously, we as laymen don't ever know all the details. But all I am saying is the fact is that Netanyahu was the prime minister at the time."

Q: When you came to Israel, David Ben Gurion was the prime minister, so you have known all of Israel's prime ministers. Who impressed you the most?

"That's a little like if you were to ask me about my children. I had five children, and now I have four, and you are asking me to tell you who I love the most. Thank God I also have 16 students who I mentored for their doctorates and sometimes people ask me, which of them was the best.  Or which grandchild or great-grandchild I love the most. Each one of them is a whole world; what will I get out of it If I give them grades?

Q: Who was Ben Gurion for you?

"Ben Gurion was Israel's George Washington. There are many things to be said in his favor. He was a great leader who took an enormous decision to establish the state in very difficult conditions, despite strong domestic opposition, which was convinced that he was wrong. And he did make mistakes."

Q: Such as?

"I talk a lot about post-Zionism. People think that Peace Now was established in 1978. But it was established a lot earlier in the 1920s with Brit Shalom, and Rabbi Judah Magnes and his gang [Magnes was a reform rabbi and the first president of the Hebrew University]  My mother's aunt, Hannah Judith Landau was part of that group. They liked the British and the Arabs and they were against the establishment of the state.

"People approached Ben Gurion and asked him, 'What are you going to do about the people that run the university and talk like that?' He replied, 'Let them talk as they wish, and I'll do what I wish. So he did what he wanted. But his dismissal of them was damaging. He needed to get other forces in education to come out against them."

Q: Let's talk about Menachem Begin.

 "Begin was excellent, but he too wasn't devoid of errors. I met him after the Sabra and Shatila massacre in 1982. I told him that I support him, but that he needs to go to elections to get the backing of the people for this war.

"Begin's biggest error was that he was too much of a gentleman and brought [Supreme Court President] Aharon Barak upon us. Begin didn't fill the civil service with his people like Mapai did.

Q: But one of Begin's most famous statements, one that he was very proud of, was: 'There are judges in Jerusalem.'

"I disagree with him. The catastrophic changes in the legal system began with Aharon Barak who said that everything is justiciable. Instead of enforcing laws,  we have reached a state where judges are above the Knesset. They express their personal opinion and make it the law of the land. Barak instituted a judicial revolution and the Knesset is no longer the body that creates the law.

"Look what happened with the Nation-State Law. The High Court decided that it was constitutional. That sounds good, but it isn't really because in the same measure it could have decided that it wasn't constitutional. The High Court has retained for itself the right and the capability to annul basic laws.

"It is scandalous that three Supreme Court justices sit on the Judicial Selection Committee and rule who will be appointed to the Supreme Court. I wouldn't give them three seats; I wouldn't even give them one. It is only here and in India that judges are involved in deciding who sits on the Supreme Court, and thus they perpetuate the ruling line of thought."

Q: Let's talk about Yitzhak Rabin

Aumann pauses for a few minutes, slipping deep inside himself, concentrating his focus on an imaginary figure standing before him, and finally says: "I don't know. He was a very complex figure, and I prefer not to talk about him."

Q: Let's talk about Benjamin Netanyahu. What in your opinion was Netanyahu's most significant contribution?

"He was most certainly a great statesman. He forged significant ties with states and built an important coalition against Iran. He is a magician in his ability to work behind the scenes,  even though there was quite a lot of talk on the outside. He also acted extraordinarily and showed leadership when it came to the coronavirus pandemic and getting vaccinations from Pfizer. Absolutely.

"He did a lot for the country and I admire him. I really, really admire him. But there is also a problem with Netanyahu. He missed opportunities. He missed the opportunity during the presidency of Donald Trump to move forward with annexation. There was an opportunity to act,  just as Begin decided to strike in Iraq. It's true that I don't know all the details, but in leadership, you must sometimes take decisions alone and cut yourself off from all the noise and pressure around you. The Americans didn't always agree with us, but sometimes they hinted that we should do what we think needs doing.

"Netanyahu didn't move to bomb Iran when it was possible. He didn't move to annex Judea and Samaria. I met Netanyahu several times – more than I met any other prime minister. I said to him, Mr. Prime Minister, make a move! I based that on the fact that the Trump administration said several times, 'Kids, you need to make a move, don't ask us.' Netanyahu hesitated. He had a problem with decisions that change reality."

Netanyahu displayed shades of greatness in his role, with the exception of taking advantage of opportunities. Previous prime ministers also worked under pressures and constraints, but they made their move nevertheless. Begin annexed the Golan Heights and we have already spoken about what he and Olmert did to nuclear reactors."

Q: Perhaps it's to Netanyahu's credit that he didn't rush to take risks.

"What about Ben Gurion? Was it clear in 1948 what kind of state we would have here? The Arabs rose up against us, but Ben Gurion took the decision and went with it all the way."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

"Netanyahu appeared before Congress with great talent and spoke out against Obama's policy. But to appear in Congress is not like enacting Israeli law on the ground. Now people are denouncing Prime Minister Bennett because he isn't allowing construction in Area C and because we have a problem of governability over the Bedouins in the Negev. That makes me laugh because Bennett has only been in the role for six months. All these problems are the result of policy that existed throughout the Netanyahu years. I don't understand how people can make claims against Bennett. I'm not necessarily one of his biggest fans but you have to be fair toward him. The problems were here before he was."

Q: If Netanyahu were to have consulted with you about how to handle his trial, what would you have advised him?

"I don't know what I would have advised him on the legal level, but Netanyahu should have stepped down from the political map, and not because he wasn't a good prime minister. The problem is that just over half of the nation didn't want him and he should have moved aside to allow somebody perhaps less talented than him to form a right-wing government.

"Now what has happened? We have a sort of unity government, and Netanyahu despite all his abilities, isn't prime minister anymore. In the end, we have a democracy here and the majority, even if it's only a small majority didn't want Netanyahu. Once time, and then another, and then another. Netanyahu too beat [Shimon] Peres in 1996 with a very small majority. But a majority is a majority nevertheless."

Q: Let's talk about game theory, the field in which you are an expert. How does game theory impact politics?

 "Let's say there are three players that represent three parties in a parliament with 100 seats. One party has 49 seats, another party has 49 seats, and a third party has two seats. There is an index in game theory, which is called the Shapley Value and I would like to ask you, 'what power does each of those three parties hold?

Q: I'm afraid to make a mistake. Go ahead and answer for me.

They each have equal power: One third, one-third, and one-third. The fact that Naftali Bennett has six seats is irrelevant. And that's what good old game theory says."

The post 'I admire Netanyahu, but he should have retired' appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The former coach of the Israeli national rhythmic gymnastics team, Ira Vigdorchik, has been appointed coach of the Russian squad and will prepare it for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Vigdorchik, 57, is already in Moscow, having signed a contract with Irina Viner, head coach of the Russian national team and president of the Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation.

Having drawn conclusions from last summer's performances at the Tokyo Olympics, in which the Russian national team came in second after Bulgaria, Viner decided that Vigdorchik was best suited for restoring the Russia's standing in the industry.

Russia perceived the silver medal as a great failure, especially since in the individual event, Russian gymnast Dina Averina also came in second after Israel's Linoy Ashram.

Ashram's victory caused opposition from Russia, which reached even the government halls in Moscow, with a condemnation issued by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

For Vigdorchik, who led the Israeli gymnastics team to 6th place in the finals in Tokyo, this is a prestigious appointment.

In Israel, she was let go following the Tokyo Olympics due to a strained relationship with team members and controversial remarks.

Next year, Israel is slated to host the European Rhythmic Gymnastics in Tel Aviv, at which the Russian team under Vigdorchik is scheduled to compete.

The Israel Gymnastics Federation said in a statement, "We thank Ira for her contribution over the years and wish her success in the future."

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Former Israeli national gymnastics coach to train Russian team appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

I hope that Israelis will not spend time trying to tally the taxes this year's Olympic medalists – Artem Dolgopyiat, Linoy Ashram, Avishag Samberg and the judo team – will pay.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

The value of their contributions surpasses that of any international diplomatic work. The whole world witnessed their victories. The taxes they would pay on the monetary reward that comes with their medals is insignificant to Israel's economy. The government can easily exempt them from this particular tax, as it does with winners of the Israel Prize or the Nobel Prize.

In fact, Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman tweeted this week that he would support a bill that would allow for such an exemption, adding that the government must step up its efforts in supporting athletes, artists, writers and scientists who bring pride to Israel.

It's time for the government to invest in our athletes properly.

One of the biggest scandals in sports facilities construction in Israel had to do with the construction of the swimming pool at the Wingate Institute, which provides Israeli athletes with the most advanced and well-equipped training equipment and facilities to prepare for the Olympics.

The original budget capped the building of the Wingate pool at 50 million shekels ($15.5 million). After years of delays, that amount almost doubled, and the pool, when finished, was lacking in several points, including accessbility for users with physical limitations.

The Culture and Sports Ministry announced this week that for the first time, government funding for sports would exceed 1 billion shekels ($310 million). And rightfully so.

Culture and Sports Minister Hili Tropper also said his ministry would allocate NIS 802 million ($249 million) over the next two years to upgrade and build sports facilities across the country.

Let's hope they deliver.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Investment in Israel's athletes is long overdue appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Israel's 12th Olympic medal came 29 years and two days after judoka Yael Arad won the country's first Olympic silver in the 1992 Barcelona Games. The first medal is always significant, but on Sunday, Israel won the gold medal in one of the Olympic Games' core competitions: athletics, gymnastics, and swimming, listed here in order of importance. Israel is an undisputed gold medal champion now that Artem Dolgopyat made it to the finals after doing better than all of his competitors in the qualifying round.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Israel is a tribal-mentality country, and the greatest joy is when all the tribes share 12 medals among them. Beyond the magnitude of the hour, there was incredible strength in the restraint shown by Dolgopyat in his victory. This man, unlike the wonderful Avishag Semberg, who won the bronze medal in taekwondo, has no followers on Instagram. Even in his modest blue and white attire, he looked like an athlete from the 1950s, so different from the noise and commotion of this country but yet so similar and full of self-reflection.

There is nothing more dangerous than coming in first in the qualifying round and waiting one nerve-wracking week just to prove your performance wasn't a one-off. Thankfully, he had his coach, Sergey Weisberg, the man who founded Israeli gymnastics, with him, as well as Alexander Shatilov, the mentor without him Dolgopyat would not be the athlete he was able to become.

This gold medal, along with the other medals and 13 finals in other fields in Tokyo, is a wake-up call for an Israeli government that on Sunday, stopped a cabinet meeting to watch Dolgopyat bestow more honor on Israel than any diplomat could ever hope to achieve in their career. Israel invests less than any other Western country in sports, and yet the winner of the greatest prize in Tokyo is set to receive half the money the winner of the Big Brother reality TV show will see.

For Israel to become a true sports state, and not a place where individual athletes shine, government meetings are needed on the issue, as are investments in infrastructure and manpower. Until that day comes, Dolpogyat will be a rare diamond in Israeli sports.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Israel's golden boy appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

On the eve of the Tokyo Olympics, which opened Friday, eight Israel athletes Israel had won nine Olympic medals. Five of those medals came in judo, three in windsurfing and one in kayaking. Out of those nine medals, only one was colored gold, and another silver. The seven remaining medals were all bronze. With the exception of London 2012, Israel has won at least one medal at every Games since 1992.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter 

Yael Arad won Israel's first Olympic medal, a silver, competing in the half-middleweight (-61-kilogram) judo category. The bout took place on July 30, 1992, 40 years after Israel first participated in the Olympic Games. The following day, judoka Oren Smadja took Israel's second medal, a bronze in the lightweight (-71 kg) category.

Israel's sole gold medal thus far was claimed by windsurfer Gal Fridman at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Fridman is the only Israel to have won two Olympic medals, claiming bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Michael Kolganov won bronze in the K-1 500 meters kayak race at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Judoka Arik Ze'evi took bronze in the half-heavyweight (100 kg) category at Athens 2004; Windsurfer Shahar Tzuberi took bronze in the 2008 Beijing Olympics; judoka Yarden Gerbi took bronze in the women's 63g weight class, and three days later Or Sasson took bronze in the men's +100kg category.

Shortly before the opening ceremony, we spoke with the Israeli medal winners to try and understand how breaking through the glass ceiling and winning a medal changed their lives. All of them noted that winning a medal was the result of years of hard work that exacted a heavy physical and mental cost. Four of the medal winners are in Tokyo: Or Sasson (30), the only Israeli Olympic medalist still actively competing, was busy over the past few weeks in intensive preparation for the competition; Oren Smadja is there as coach of the men's team; Yael Arad as head of the professional team of the Olympic Committee of Israel; and Arik Ze'evi, who is in Japan as a commentator for the Sports Channel.

After decades of minimal investment and low achievements, in the past four Olympics, Israel's athletes have received professional backing in all fields, enabling them to reach the Games in optimal condition. Israel has invested an estimated NIS 200 million in preparing for Tokyo. The Israeli delegation of 90 athletes is huge in local terms and Israel's largest ever, mostly due to the 25-member baseball team. It is the first time Israel has had a team in any ballgame since the 1976 Montreal Olympics, when Israel's soccer team participated.

Israel's athletes will also enjoy generous grants if they come back with medals. Gold medal winners will receive 500,000 shekels ($153,000), while their professional team will receive NIS 350,000 ($107,000). Silver medalists will get NIS 400,000 ($123,000), and their teams will share another NIS 280,000 ($86,000); while bronze medalists will receive NIS 250,000 ($76,000) and their professional team another NIS 175,000 $53,000).

The Olympic Committee of Israel takes pride in the fact that Israel is one of the world's leading countries in terms of bonuses for its medal-winning men and women, and it's right. The average gold medal bonus in Western countries is around NIS 200,000. Singapore tops the charts with a bonus of $740,000, and Taiwan follows with $640,000. But the generous bonuses haven't turned Israel into an Olympic superpower. Western countries prefer to invest greater sums in sporting infrastructure, thus increasing the overall pool of medals.

Arad, 54,  says that as a young judoka, she was taught to lose with honor. "No one really spoke about winning. Whatever we achieved was okay, but there was no target on the wall."

Arad trained with Maccabi Tel Aviv, and in 1977, when she was 10 years old, Maccabi's basketball team won the European championship for the first time. That was her inspiration.

When she was 16, Arad decided she wanted to be the best in the world. "I was at a big training camp in Europe where I saw 'old ladies' of 25 who were world and European champions. That was my first encounter with the world's best. I looked at them and saw that they were flesh and blood just like me. But I understood that I needed to switch from a regime of one-and-a-half hours training a day to three hours a day just like them."

Q: Did you come to Barcelona expecting to win a medal?

 "Yes. I was the world number three. In February 1992, six months before the Olympics, I was crowned champion at the Paris tournament. In the Olympic semi-final I beat Frauke Eickhoff of Germany, and then it was clear that I would win a medal."

Arad's disappointment after losing the final on points showed clearly on her face when she went up on the podium to claim her silver medal in Barcelona. She had hoped to see the Israeli flag hoisted and to hear the national anthem, Hatikvah, and she came so close. But Israel celebrated its first Zionist medal, achieved 40 years after its first Olympics. It took Arad a few days to understand just what a big occasion it was.

She was swamped by the Israeli media who waited on her every word. The heads of the Israeli delegation were in ecstasy. "I wasn't given much time to be disappointed, because everyone had plans for me. I received calls to come back to Israel immediately because the papers wanted to do a celebratory interview with me, but I wanted to stay and carry the Israeli flag at the closing ceremony."

Arad, the daughter of two journalists, was already a young woman with a strong awareness of the world. Before the games, she met with the widows of the Israeli athletes murdered in Munich and promised them that if she won a medal, she would dedicate it to their memory. When the International Olympic Committee held a big press conference, Arad arrived prepared with a speech she had written in honor of the 11 Israeli victims of the Munich massacre.

When she returned home, Arad was received like a Hollywood movie star. "When I was still in Barcelona, my parents told me how ecstatic everyone was in Israel. When we landed, the plane taxied right past the VIP hall, and I could see all the people who had accompanied me from childhood waiting for me there. A few days later, I met the Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin at his bureau." They spoke about the competition and Rabin told Arad he had watched the final from his bureau.

Q: What did the medal do for you?

"The main thing was a sense of self-fulfillment. When you achieve a major goal, the significance isn't necessarily financial. Ask the people at Mobileye how they feel. As soon as I touched the big dream, I felt whole. It enables you to live life well on the emotional level, with enormous confidence."

Arad retired from the sport in 1994 in order to be close to her ailing father after winning the European Championships and coming in second at the World Champions in the year after the Games. She returned to compete in Atlanta in 1996, but lost in the bronze medal fight and finished fifth.

Q: You ended your career with very strong public recognition

"But not like a reality TV star," she jokes. "There was strong recognition from the public and from decision makers who were full of appreciation."

Arad put the world of judo behind her and switched to the business world. "Opening doors wasn't a problem, but I had to transition to a new world and think about what I will be, and not what I had been."

Today, Arad is an entrepreneur and a consultant to companies in the fields of gaming and children's TV series. For the past nine years, she has been part of the elite sports unit at the Wingate Institute and says that since she won her medal Israel has taken an enormous leap forward in developing its Olympic athletes.

Before the1992 Barcelona Olympics, then-Deputy Sports Minister Pinchas Goldstein established a fund for Israeli medal winners. Goldstein recruited the diamond trader Simcha Holtzman, and half a million shekels were allocated for each winner. When Arad and Smadja won their medals, the Olympic Committee of Israeli doubled the amount to NIS 1 million ($307,000).

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Shahar Tzuberi found himself the only remaining Israeli medal hope. "All the Israelis who have been considered medal contenders had already been knocked out, and from the Israeli Olympic committee's perspective, I was potential for a third to sixth place," he recalls.

Ahead of the final race of the competition, the medal race, Zuberi was placed fourth and in order to win a medal he needed to overtake one of the three windsurfers ahead of him in the rankings - from New Zealand, France and the United Kingdom. Ahead of the decisive race, he was certain that he had been disqualified, but when he rounded the first buoy, he saw that he was in third place and strongly in contention. He placed second in the race and dramatically jumped up the rankings to end up third overall and claim the bronze medal.

When I ask him how much the medal had changed his life, Tzuberi answers instinctively: "A lot."

"I was a kid from Eilat and Eilat is a small place," he explains. "If you stand out there you instantly become well-known. When I started to win races, the local press was full of articles about me. So even before I won a medal, I was a well-known sportsman, with a very supportive environment.

"But then I was out of my local bubble and it spread all around the country. In the two years before Beijing, I was already competing seriously at adult level and taking part in Olympic trials. When I moved from Eilat to the center of the country, interest in me spread to a national level."

Tzuberi, 34, was only 22 years old when he won his medal. He may have been the best rewarded Israel athlete at the Games, but his bonus was just NIS 92,000 ($28,000). Nevertheless, at the end of the day, he is believed to have raked in around half a million shekels, which helped him buy an apartment in Eilat. He signed a contract with Renault which gave him a new car for two years and an annual salary of NIS 230,000 ($70,000) as a presenter.

In the two years following the Beijing Olympics, he won the European Championship. The prize money and stipends helped him maintain an optimal training regime, spend a lot of time overseas, and enjoy a comfortable bachelor lifestyle. He competed in London in 2012, finishing 19th.

After London, Tzuberi enrolled at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya to study Government and Diplomacy ("I studied to widen my horizons, and to be able to make a living beyond windsurfing and sports. I knew that one day I would need additional tools.") Tzuberi took a break from his studies to prepare for Rio 2016, where he finished in 17th place. After the Games, he went on to finish his degree. In 2018, he married Liat, and a year later their first daughter Niv was born. Today he lives with his family in the Ramat Aviv Gimel neighborhood in North Tel Aviv.

At the last world championship in Spain, Tzuberi placed only 14th, and two-and-a-half months ago, national team coach Gur Steinberg decided that 21-year-old Yoav Cohen, the 2020 European champion, who placed 5th in Spain, was in better form, and selected him to represent Israel in Tokyo.

Q: What did you make of that decision?

"I dealt with it between me and myself. I knew that once the decision had been made there was no point fighting it. That wouldn't have been right for me, for Yoav, or for the team."

Some of the passers-by at the commercial center in Ramat Aviv Gimel recognize Tzuberi - others don't. "I'm not famous enough to lose my privacy, and I like it like that. On the other hand, I do enjoy being recognized. People had 'their fingers crossed' for me, and ask for selfies but in the right measure."

Tzuberi says that part of the Olympic experience for him was meeting sporting legends at the Olympic village. In Beijing he saw tennis stars Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, and ex Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball star Sarunas "Saras" Jasikevicius who was there with the Lithuanian hoops team ("he even recognized me")

In Tokyo, Tzuberi is working as a commentator for the Sports Channel. His biggest dream is to return to his home town of Eilat and to take on a managerial role at the local surfing and sailing club. Before he does that though, he will have to persuade his wife Liat, a former parliamentary adviser and now a senior executive with a subsidiary of the construction giant, Ashtrom Group.

Q: Could a managerial role include the mayorship of Eilat?

"I'm not ruling out anything. At the moment we are happy where we are, and I'm making sure that my kid goes barefoot a lot, just like I used to."

Five years after making Aliyah on his own from Uzbekistan, Michael Kolganov represented Israel at the Sydney Olympics. He left behind his parents and a brother, and his absorption process was not an easy one. Last week he told Israel Hayom reporter Nir Wolf how when he first came to Israel he found himself training in the dirty and polluted waters of the Kishon River, and how he came close to despair. But by the time of the Sydney Games, he was a candidate for a medal, with all the public pressure involved, after doing well at the world championships.

The then-26-year-old Kolganov led the 500-meter event almost all the way, but tired toward the end. He finished third to claim bronze. Like Yael Arad, he refused to be consoled, believing that he had been worthy of gold. But the reception he received in Israel, along with a phone call from Prime Minister Ehud Barak, helped soften the blow.

Kolganov went on to compete in the Athens and Beijing Olympics, but failed to duplicate his achievement from Sidney. He was the flag bearer for the Israeli delegation at Beijing 2008, but from there on his public recognition declined, perhaps because he wasn't a native-born Israeli and didn't have family support and network of connections to help leverage his career, and perhaps it was because he lived in the north of the country, far from the wealthier central region, where everything happens.

Kolganov was connected to the Israel Beiteinu party, which promised that it would establish a strong water sports infrastructure on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Later, MK Faina Kirschenbaum set him up with a job as a student coordinator for the Ayalim NGO. But Kolganov never saw a cent from that. By then, Kolganov already had two children, and with a family to support found himself working as a lifeguard on the beaches of Lake Kinneret.

Of all Israel's Olympic medallists, Kolganov is the one who really didn't make it into the public spotlight. He never appeared in advertisements, and took in only around NIS 100,000 from his Olympic medal. "All my medals, including the Olympic one, are stored in a bag in the cupboard," says Kolganov, "I think when I'm 67 I will send them to the National Insurance Institute and perhaps I'll get another 200-3000 shekels to add on the pension I don't have."

I met with Arik Ze'evi, 44, in his home neighborhood in north Tel Aviv just as he returned from conducting selection bouts for his pet project, the Maccabi Rafael Tel Aviv judo dojo, which this year won the Israeli national team championships for kids up to sixth grade, and also took several medals among the sixth to 8th graders category. Some 90 kids from third grade and up train at Ze'evi 's new judo club.

Ze'evi also runs another judo dojo in Tel Aviv with around 70 kids. He has been running his Hadar Yosef club for the past three years ever since ending his term as manager of the Israeli youth team after a highly publicized split with Israel senior's coach Oren Smadja. Ze'evi however isn't interested in talking about the past, only the future. Even after all these years, and all the titles and honors he has won, it is incredible to see the light in his eyes when he talks about judo.

Q: Is winning Olympic medals an Israeli obsession?

"Every athlete feels they need to win an Olympic medal as a final seal of approval. [Windsurfer] Lee Korzitz was a four-time world champion but failed to win an Olympic medal. From a professional point of view, world championships are stronger competition, but the Olympics have a certain glory of their own – it's a bigger competition with media from the athlete's home country and from all over the world, and enormous exposure for sports that usually hardly get a mention in the papers."

Ze'evi came close to a medal in Sydney 2000, but ended up fifth due to a refereeing error. He arrived in Athens 2004 as the favorite for gold after having been crowned three times as European champion.

Q: How much pressure was on you to get a medal?

"A lot of pressure. A few months before Athens I picked up an eye infection, which didn't heal until a month after the Games when I was in India and the pressure had subsided. If you take a close look at pictures from the time, you will see me on the podium with one eye half shut. The pressure on me made me sluggish, I didn't feel at all fresh, I had a huge weight on my shoulders. Do you remember the 1998 World Cup final in soccer when Brazil faced Italy? Brazil's top star, Ronaldo, collapsed mentally; I didn't understand why it had happened. But when I was in Athens I thought about him, and I understood what it feels like to have half a country on your back."

Ze'evi wasn't talking about the rush of Israeli fans to the judo hall in Athens. Fans travelling to support a specific athlete isn't really part of Olympic culture, but Israelis filled the judo halls with flags and colorful decorations, and the pressure grew even higher, impacting Ze'evi 's performance in the last two bouts.

In the 2004 quarterfinals, Ze'evi faced a South Korean opponent: "I had him on the floor after 30 seconds," recalls Ze'evi . "The Spanish referee ruled ippon [a winning move] but the two other assisting referees changed the decision to waza-ari [the second-highest score in judo]. I continued to lead the bout, but with a minute to go I fell on my side. The referee shouted waza-ari, but the assistant referees changed the decision to ippon. Perhaps it was just a coincidence but the head of the world judo federation at the time was a Korean tycoon."

Ze'evi competed in the repechage round and won the bronze. For six days he basked in the glory of being Israel's only medal winner in Athens, until windsurfer Gal Friedman came along and won gold.

"Looking back with the perspective of time, only those close to you remember the details. A lot of times when I'm giving a lecture, I am presented as an Olympic champion, and I have to put the record straight. Does anyone remember how many times Cristiano Ronaldo was top goal scorer or how many championships he won? People just remember him as Ronaldo."

Q: Did you get a lot of sponsorship deals after the medal?

"There were several big companies that publicized that they had supported me and given me all sorts of gifts. Bottom line, very little happened, but my agent, Rafi Agiv, wasn't shy and called all the companies who had used my name and asked for the products for me. I got a wonderful bed from Hollandia, and Johnson & Johnson sent me a cosmetics package worth thousands of shekels that I had no use for so I gave everything away as presents to girlfriends."

The adoration for Ze'evi , at the time a desirable bachelor, grew even stronger after his medal win. On one website he was voted the world's sexiest athlete, ahead of David Beckham. His main sponsor, the Migdal insurance company, gave him a monthly stipend of NIS 20,000, while the Olympic Committee of Israel also gave him a stipend and a car. Ze'evi felt like a millionaire. Over the years, Migdal is estimated to have spent in the region of two million shekels sponsoring the judo star.

Ze'evi still remembers picking up the papers one day and seeing a picture of soccer star Yossi Benayoun taking up all of the front pages of the sports section on the edition after he had just won the European championship - an achievement that was covered in barely two sentences. "At the time, the public was barely aware of Olympic sports. There was no correlation between my achievements and the effort I put in, and the amount of media exposure I received. It was very frustrating."

The bitter end to Ze'evi 's career came exactly 43 seconds into his first bout in London 2012 against an opponent he had already beaten four times.

"I was the reigning European champion, but I ended up losing to someone against whom I held a 4-1 record. I failed. But slowly-slowly I understood that people identify with disappointments and with growth emerging from failure. Many people are afraid to chase after their dream, because they are afraid of failure."

At the end of the day, Ze'evi 's story enabled him to develop his business and expand his exposure. He currently lectures around 15 times a month to organizations, large companies and army commanders. He run a very successful judo club, is married with three children, and always has a smile on his face.

Judoka Oren Smadja, 51, won Israel's second-ever medal the day after Yael Arad won the country's first. Journalist colleagues who were in Barcelona for the Games recall how they all went that night to watch the U.S. hoops Dream Team in action in Badalona, and how none of them even knew who Smadja was. No one in the Israeli delegation had even talked about the option of the judoka winning a medal. But Smadja tore up the rule book, won all his six bouts in record time, and caused the Israeli journalists to race back to the Olympic Village in a taxi to figure out how Israel had ended up all of a sudden with a second medal.

Perhaps that's the reason that Smadja, unlike Arad and Ze'evi, didn't have an easy relationship with the press, which usually gives Olympic medallists the VIP treatment.

Smadja claims that over the years he has received a far less flattering portrayal from the media than other athletes, even though he has coached the national team to considerable success for more than a decade, and is considered an ally of the strong man of Israeli judo, Moshe Ponte, who is the chairman of the Israel Judo Association. Smadja, who recently completed a degree in Sports Management at the Wingate Institute, is the only Israeli to have won a medal both as a competitor and as a coach.

Smadja grew up in the southern town of Ofakim and was coached by his father Maurice, who would set him almost impossible targets. When Smadja returned from Barcelona, his father asked him, "Why just a bronze?" Smadja took silver at the world championships in Japan in 1995 and was considered a strong candidate for a medal at the Atlanta Games the following year, but was knocked out in just the second round. He began coaching in 1996.

The two medals in Barcelona gave a huge push forward to judo in Israel and thousands of kids took up the sport. Having pulled off the impossible, and with great charisma on the mat, Smadja was a mentor to those kids. After retiring from competition, he set up a judo club in the central Israeli town of Even Yehuda, and since 2010 he has coached the national team.

From Smadja's perspective, the successes achieved by his protégés - Or Sasson's bronze medal in Rio, Sagi Muki's gold at the world championships in Japan two years ago, and Peter Paltchik''s golds at the European championships, and at Grand Slams in Abu Dhabi and Paris - are a direct continuation from what happened in Barcelona 29 years ago.

Just before leaving for Tokyo, Smadja put up a post on Facebook about going to his fifth Olympics, and about his charges Or Sasson, Sagi Muki, Peter Paltchik, Tohar Butbul, Tohar Butbul, Li Kochman and Baruch Shmailov, who he describes as "the best group in Israeli sports."

"I also prepare myself physically and mentally," he wrote. "I know that all of us, the athletes and the coaches, are heading for a roller coaster, with a lot of ups and downs and the full spectrum of emotions. I know that I won't sleep much throughout the competition and when the first judoka goes out onto the mat in the Budokan, the martial arts hall in Tokyo, my pulse will race as if I were out there on the mat.

"I know what it's like to go out onto the Olympic mat with the whole country watching you, crossing their fingers for you, and believing in you. You are always going to be nervous on an occasion like that, no matter how much experience or how many titles you have.

"The Olympic Games are a dramatic event in the life of an athlete, they can even be traumatic. If you win, you realize a dream, the significance of which you couldn't have understood up to that moment. If you don't win, then you are simply left with feelings of having missed out, and of disappointment.  The judo team has six bullets in the chamber and each one of them has a chance of hitting the target. I'm sure they will all do everything they can to rise above themselves and fight till the last to represent their country in the best possible manner."

Windsurfer Gal Fridman, 45, is the only Israeli athlete to have won two Olympic medals, including the coveted gold. He lives in Kibbutz Sdot Yam in northern Israel, which is considered the hub of Israeli sailing.

In 2005, both of Fridman's Olympic medals were stolen from his parents' home. The gold medal was returned to Fridman after a girl found it in a forest near Fureidis, an Arab village just north of Sdot Yam. The bronze medal was never recovered.

"People are always asking me if there have been any developments, but it's not as if someone was looking for it," Fridman said in a recent TV interview. "To me, it doesn't matter. It would have been nice to show the kids and grandchildren, but at the end of the day, it's just a piece of metal. No one took my achievements away from me."

After retiring from windsurfing, Fridman coached for a while but gave it up because he felt greater tension than when he was competing himself. Responsibility for others was too much for him.

"People tend to remain in their comfort zone, and going out to do something new is difficult," he says. "But you gain a lot from doing other things. I went out of my comfort zone. I competed in mountain bike and road racing cycling competitions. I did lots of different sports. I still ride, but only occasionally. I'm always changing fields and learning new things. I got into photography; I still take photographs and I'm also busy with a new thing, training drone pilots."

"I dreamt about winning the Olympics and of being a world champion. I made both those dreams come true [Fridman won the world championship in 2002]. I dreamt about having a family and kids. That has also come true. I am married [to Michal, an architect] and I have four children [two boys and two girls, ages three-and-a-half to 12]. I quit when I was at the top."

"I often talk with people on the street who recognize me. They say 'thank you', 'you made us really happy' and 'well done, we are proud of you'. People actually remember where they were when the finals were broadcast from Athens. It's moving."

Yarden Gerbi thinks Israel can win medals in Tokyo, with at least two of them coming in her discipline – judo. Yes, she misses competition, the atmosphere, the adrenaline and the butterflies in her stomach. No, she really doesn't miss training. "If somebody were to come up with a way to compete without training, I would go back," she says.

Gerbi, 32, remembers the day she won her medal in Rio. "Twenty-two years of my career boiled down to one day – a day that was very complex. In the first round, I received a tough Cuban opponent. In the quarter-finals, I faced a Brazilian, and the refereeing wasn't fair. There was a big possibility that it would all come to an end there. But I managed to elevate myself mentally, and further down the line [in the repechage round] I beat some strong girls. In the bronze medal fight, my coach, Shani Hershko, was sent off, because the referees ruled that he had given me instructions during the bout, and not during breaks, which is allowed."

"It's true that I would have liked to win the Olympic gold, but it's been five years since then and I've moved on. I am happy and at one with myself."

High-tech company Melanox and the credit-card firm CAL sponsored Gerbi to the tune of hundreds of thousands of shekels ahead of the Rio Games and had planned to support her in Tokyo as well. But Gerbi had her own plans. Her retirement from judo in October 2017 came after a long process that included several operations.

"I trained and everything was great, but after a while, I was back in the routine of two training sessions a day, and seeing the same girls and going through the same training camps. I realized I had to set myself a new goal. That was the European championship in April 2018 in Tel Aviv. I wanted to appear before fans in Israel.

"But then I began to feel that I just don't have the strength to get up every day at six in the morning to push myself to the limit in every training session. You have to give your brain orders, and I felt that I just wasn't managing to. My motivation was down, the fire had gone out. I realized that I had already achieved everything I wanted to - an Olympic medal, a world championship, dozens of medals, and sportsperson of the year in Israel."

Q: Did you know what you would do the day after judo?

"When you retire from an Olympic sport, there is no unemployment benefit. You leave without any salary at all, and you have to reinvent yourself. I had to think about what I was good at. I didn't have a 'Plan B', I didn't know what to do. I only knew that I wouldn't go on with judo, because I didn't have the motivation."

Q: How much did your judo skills help you succeed in the physical and mental challenges of 'Survivor,' where you took third place?

"My entire essence comes from judo. Motivation, determination, restraints, patience, and other things that I learned on a day-to-day basis. That's why judo is so incredible and special. It comes from Japanese culture. The Japanese bow to each other when they say hello; they do so out of respect - respect for the coach and respect for one and other. Those are the values I grew up on. All of that comes out in 'Survivor'. How to look at things, patience in moments of crisis, and how to fight for missions as if there is no tomorrow. All of that comes from judo."

Gerbi currently lives in Portugal where she works in real estate. "Apart from that, I also invented a digital course to develop mental resilience in kids. I called the course 'Brain Strength' and I compare the brain to a muscle. I also hope to develop other new ideas, and I'm living the moment. At the end of the day, the tools I received from being an athlete make me understand that I need to work hard for my goals and that if I work hard, I can achieve them."

Q: You don't get stopped in the street in Portugal by people asking for a signature or a selfie?

"That's right. Nobody knows me there. When I come back to Israel, there is no anonymity for me, but that's fine. At the moment, I'm shooting a new series of 'Ninja Israel' where I'm a commentator. I've really gone deep into the subject, and it's quite exciting."

Unlike in the 2016 Rio Games, Or Sasson, the only Israeli medal winner competing in Tokyo, is not going into the Games in optimal condition.

Given his physical condition and problematic preparation, it's safe to say that it will be a big surprise if he wins a medal this time around. A month ago, in the final big warm-up competition, Sasson was knocked out in the first round by an opponent from Kazakhstan after being penalized three times in the bout. He looked tired after having undergone surgery before the competition.

In February 2019, the Elite Sports Department removed him from its gold team because he hadn't won a medal at a European or world championship in the past two years. As a result, his monthly stipend was cut. His coach Oren Smadja was not happy with the decision and made his displeasure public in a Facebook post where he however thanked Bank Yahav, Sasson's sponsor, for its support, and that of the Israel Judo Association, which made up the difference.

With many competitions canceled during the coronavirus pandemic, Sasson found himself exploring other directions and ended up appearing as a felafel in the TV show "The Masked Singer."

Objectively speaking, Sasson faces a difficult task in Tokyo as all his major rivals in his weight category (+100kg) - Teddy Riner of France, Hisayoshi Harasawa of Japan, and Rafael Silva of Brazil, the joint bronze medal winner with him in Rio - will be competing. More tough competitors have also joined the pool. Among them, Guram Tushishvili of Georgia, and the champion from Rio 2016 in the -100kg class, Lukas Krapalek of the Czech Republic, both of whom have gone up a weight category.

After being knocked out of the world championships last month, Sasson posted on Instagram: "Am I capable of winning another meal in Tokyo? Of course I am. No defeat on the path will move me away from my target. For me, there is no other choice. I choose to get up and move toward my greatest target in life at the moment, a target that is on the verge of the super-human."

Over the weekend, 19-year-old Avishag Samberg joined this exclusive club, winning the bronze in taekwondo at the Tokyo Games. Samberg is the first taekwondoin to ever represent Israel in this sport in the Olympics and her win represents Israel's 10th medal overall.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post On guts, glory and Olympic medals appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Once it would have been completely far fetched to talk about a union between Meretz and Labor, not just because of the differences in approach, but mostly because of the personalities of their leaders. But the electoral cliff-edge, which left Labor and Meretz hanging precariously, staring into the void, led Amir Peretz, Horowitz and the main opponent to the move, Orly Levy-Abekasis, to the realization that they had no choice.

Q: Do you really think Israel's entire left-wing today amounts to 9-10 parliament seats?

"Absolutely not. For years now, there has not been a really big shift between the left and the right in Israel. There are big changes, however, within the blocs. For example, voters in the 2015 election gave the Labor party under [Isaac] Herzog 24 seats, and less than five years later, most of them voted for Blue and White. Our goal now is to bring them home."

Q: This week, you were already busy making plans: Orly as health minister, you as education minister, Peretz with an economic portfolio. Have you left anything for Benny Gantz or Avigdor Lieberman?

"Take a look at who today heads the education, defense and transport ministries in the Israeli government. Rabbi Rafi [Peretz], Naftali Bennett and Bezalel Smotrich. Our demands are very realistic, and we are making sure to suit the people to the roles. Around the world it's very common to have a shadow government 'appointed' by the opposition – it's the practice in Britain, Australia and several other places."

Q: Orly Levy-Abekasis seems uncomfortable with the fact your parties have joined forces. 

"I do not find that at all in my dealings with Orly. I have no issue with her, and we've been friendly for many years. Her father, David Levy, did the smart thing at the time by setting up Gesher, which then joined with Ehud Barak's One Israel party [in 1999]. David Levy also chose the Labor ballot slip at the polling station."

 Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

"Orly brought back Gesher, went with Amir, and I can tell you that the union between us is put to the test every day, and it is going strong. There are other parties where the ideological differences between the individuals are far greater than those between Orly and me. In Blue and White, even in Likud. The Joint Arab List has members of the Islamic Movement and communists who support the [Syrian President Bashar] Assad regime. Orly and I have won the outstanding parliamentarian award. Her father was happy and gave his blessing."

Q: Speaking of the Joint Arab List, do you think that the extremist Balad, which brings in only a handful of votes for the Joint Arab List, is damaging the interests of inclusion of Arab Israelis in the political discourse? Wouldn't it have been better if JAL chairman Ayman Odeh had let them run alone?

"That's their issue – I don't give Ayman advice. I was very glad that for the first time, an Arab party had given its recommendation to the president for a candidate from a Zionist party, Benny Gantz, to be prime minister. I have heard talk among them recently of a withdrawal of choice from cooperating with Blue and White because of its support for the Trump plan. I call on Ayman and his fellow members not to push themselves outside of the arena, because a large part of the Arab population wants to be integrated and wants integration and partnership in the Israeli here and now, and they want to go in this direction."

Q: And if there was an Arab economy minister, or tourism minister, or health minister?

"Amir Peretz already appointed an Arab minister, Raleb Majadele as sports minister. The Joint List won't sit in Gantz's government because they themselves do not want it – but if they want to support it from the outside, that would be great."

Horowitz, 55, lives in Tel Aviv with his life partner, theater and opera director Ido Riklin. For his military service, he served as Army Radio's military correspondent, and from there went on to an illustrious career in journalism, including as Haaretz's correspondent in Paris and Washington, and as Channel 10 News' foreign news editor.

He served as a Meretz MK from 2009-2015, and in 2013 ran against Ron Huldai for mayor of Tel Aviv, winning 40% of the votes. Last June, he stood against Tamar Zandberg for the Meretz leadership, and won with 54% of the votes.

Q: Yisrael Beytenu leader Lieberman has declared that he's willing to accept you. That is to say, accept Amir Peretz who brings with him the dowry of this union. I can remember previous Meretz leaders who would have been like a red rag to a bull for Lieberman.

"The basis of the next government is Blue and White, together with Labor-Gesher-Meretz, but it is obvious to me that this collaboration is not enough, and that we will have to see the results. In this respect, we do not rule out Avigdor Lieberman as a partner in this government. There are differences and divides between us, but the most important thing is a change of government and the ability to make a difference. A narrow, dogmatic mindset won't help us with anything, so I do not rule out any alliances, including with the Joint Arab List. It is clear to me they won't sit in the government, but they can also abstain from the outside when it comes to [the Knesset] approving the government."

Q: Is it clear to you that any government of yours that does not have a Jewish majority will get very little credit from the public?

"And Netanyahu's government that has not had a majority for a year now, does it have public credit? I am well acquainted with Israeli politics, it is the art of the possible, even when sometimes it looks like the impossible. The pre-election chatter of Netanyahu's bloc-of-55 is not the same chatter of after the elections when people see that Netanyahu is getting weaker from vote to vote, and that his legal situation is getting worse and worse.

"If Gantz forms a government, it will be very stable. Netanyahu himself made the no-confidence route more difficult, and it is almost impossible today to bring down a government. That's why you need to present a full, alternative government, including who gets which portfolios. If the Likud were in opposition, do you see the Joint List helping them over a no-confidence vote? There could be a government without a clear majority, but with a relative majority which functions well, and there could also be further recruits. That's the way it goes in politics."

Q: Is a national unity government an option?

"In my eyes, it is an option, and I say that too to people in Blue and White. As long as the Likud does not relinquish Netanyahu [as a leader], it means they do not really want a national unity government – and the time has come to rip off this mask. We will need to break out of this impasse after the third elections – and that means considering a government with a relative majority."

Q: Do you have any reason to think the results of the next election will be different?

"I don't know if the results will change, but it is in our interest to increase the voter turnout in our areas. In the center of the country, for example, the turnout of secular voters is relatively low. In Tel Aviv, turnout was 61 percent, almost 10 percent lower than the national average. In Israeli politics, it's difficult to move votes from left to right, or the other way around. And therefore the test is to increase voter turnout."

Q: How will you convince people to come out and vote? There is a very deep feeling of despondency among the general public.

"I agree that everyone is tired. People have had enough. But we must give it a final push in order to get a different government. Just get out and vote. We have a very strong and significant social agenda, and with our partnership with Labor, our ability to deploy is even greater. We're doing fieldwork, we're working to get people out and increase turnout in our key areas."

Q: Polls are giving your faction  9-10 seats, as opposed to the 11 collective seats that Labor and Meretz got separately in the last election. The fact that you are far off from the electoral threshold will mean that Blue and White can siphon off votes from you in the final stretch.

"I look at the center-left camp as one bloc, and the bloc is what is important, not the size of the largest party. A large part of Labor voters, and a small part of Meretz voters, went to Blue and White – and our goal is to bring voters home. We need to be the influencing force on Blue and White within the bloc, to influence Benny Gantz to go in the right direction, and not in the direction of full annexation of the territories as Yoaz Hendel and Zvi Hauser are advocating. Such annexation is dangerous in my opinion and make the possibility of one day having peace here all the more difficult."

Q: Benny Gantz said outright that he supports the Trump plan, including the annexation of 30% of Judea and Samaria.

"The key principle of the Trump plan is that of two states, with a solution for partition. The principle itself is correct. It has been talked about for years already and I am glad that even on the right they have realized that even Trump, Israel's great friend and Netanyahu's friend, believes in the two-state solution.

"The problem is that large parts of the right want to take from the Trump plan only the parts that work for them, the annexation, and cast aside all the rest. That won't work because the Americans are not stupid. The right's formula will lead to a state with a non-Jewish and non-democratic majority, a state that has annexed millions of Palestinians. This annexation will lead to an insane situation of 60 tiny enclaves inside a border or a fence, which will be an unrealistic hell for both sides. Is that really how we want to live? The solution is two states – giving them sovereignty in their territories. Most of the public is in favor of this."

Q: That's not true. Most of the public support an abstract idea of peace, but this peace needs teeth. On the Palestinian side there aren't any teeth either. PA President Abbas is at best steadfast in his position, and in the worst-case scenario, postponing the inevitable and will pass this issue on to his successor. In the meantime, we're not talking to him at all, and are bogged down in a useless confrontation with Hamas.

"And if there aren't two states, but one state, the Arabs will demand the vote, to be full citizens – and what then? I am convinced that giving them sovereignty over their territory is something that the majority of Israelis support."

Q: When former PM Ariel Sharon and the ordered the 2005 disengagement from Gaza that was not good for Israel. Hamas took over the Strip, and since then it has set the agenda through cycles of violence.

"The withdrawal from Gaza was the right thing to do, even the right does not want to go back into Gaza. I was debating Ayelet Shaked, and I asked her if she wants to go back there. Do you think she answered in the affirmative? No. The disengagement was done as a unilateral move by Sharon; the next arrangement needs to be done through agreement.

"The partner of the center-left is not Hamas, which is actually the partner of the Likud government which transfers millions of dollars to it every month. We need an agreement with the Palestinian Authority, with whom – despite all the difficulties and the prolonged rift between Netanyahu and Abu Mazen [Abbas] – we have security cooperation and economic collaboration, which even the right-wing governments closely maintain."

Q: One of the main criticisms of the left is that it is naïve. That it believes that Abbas, or whoever takes over from him, can really reconcile with us. There were prime ministers who went virtually all the way towards him, and it didn't make a difference.

"And perhaps the right is being naïve by thinking that the Palestinian issue will just disappear - poof? The government has frozen every diplomatic process, believing that things will ultimately work out. The right portrays Abu Mazen as our greatest enemy, and on the other hand, talks to Hamas even though it constantly fires rockets at us and paralyzes the south. Is it not obvious that Abu Mazen is getting weaker when we act in this way? We must shore him up, and we must bring about an economic arrangement, which even Yisrael Katz understands and supports.

"But what does Netanyahu do? He leaves Gaza a millimeter above the water, so that there won't be mass starvation. He doesn't give them anything, so they have nothing to lose. And so they act exactly like people who have nothing to lose."

Q: What's your solution for Gaza?

"My solution, and that of all the military chiefs, is to move towards an economic arrangement. Give them a horizon of development in exchange for calm and the return of the missing Israelis. Ultimately, there must be a diplomatic horizon, beyond just military handling [of the situation]."

Q: Gantz has said that the response to bombardment on the south is military action in Gaza. If the government takes a decision for a broad ground operation in Gaza, would you be able to live with that?

"It all depends on the overall strategy. We have seen over the last decade that military responses do not create solutions, sometimes complicates things, and after a few months, we're back to the same situation. A solution to Gaza is multi-faceted. There is no solution based only on military operations, without a diplomatic horizon. You have to look at the big picture."

Q: What about political leadership on the Left compared to leadership on the Right? 

"I plan on staying in this role for a long time, I did not take this job for a short time. Previous party leaders remained in the position for a relatively long time. I am working closely with Tamar on this campaign, collaborating with her, she is my number two, she has the status and position that she deserves. I am not about settling scores."

Q: During last April's elections, Arab voters accounted for a whole extra seat for Meretz and essentially saved you from demise. But MK Issawi Frej now finds himself languishing in the 11th slot because of the union with Labor. You may be left without an Arab representative in the Knesset.

"In the April elections, the Joint List did not run together; many in the Arab sector were disappointed by the decision and voted for other parties, predominantly Meretz. In the last elections, the Joint List ran together, there was a strong protest vote, and we still got 20,000 votes in the Arab sector. We hope to continue growing even now. Labor and Meretz both held primaries. Issawi was elected to the fifth slot in Meretz and the 'zipper effect' following the union meant he is in the 11th spot. This is absolutely realistic."

Q: Let's talk a bit about your voters. On the one hand, they say that your powerbase is the greater Tel Aviv area. The problem is that people in other areas aren't voting for you. 

"We don't decide our policy based on whether or not they're voting for us. The union highlights enormous social undertakings together with Amir Peretz, Orly Levy-Abekasis, and Itzik Shmuli too – people who live in the distant periphery or who are driven by deep social factors. This is our raison d'être. Labor-Gesher-Meretz is offering clear and precise solutions to people who need to ask themselves who really represents them in the Knesset, who is going to fight for them for disability allowance, for a decent minimum wage, on the side of the pensioners and teachers, and other groups in our society.

"Israeli society is divided into tribes and sectors, and it is hard for people to disconnect from past allegiances. People need to vote according to their social and economic interests, and that is not easy, because there are also elements of religion and tradition. We offer a comprehensive approach, which better suits many more people than the promises of Yamina, which is completely sectoral, working for the benefit of the settlers and in favor of increasing social divides. The moment you cut budgets for education and health, you are a capitalist who does not see straight. Bennet, Shaked and [Matan] Kahane are all opposed to unions.

"Many people say to us, 'we are in favor of your social policies because you are hardworking and honest, but we are opposed to your diplomatic approach.' So I say to all those people – the left is serving your interests diplomatically too, because if they knew how much Israel spends on what goes on in the territories, they would understand that it's coming out of their pocket, and that it impacts on the waiting lists in hospitals, the overcrowding and the chaos."

Q: I saw that Naftali Bennett put out a photo of you next to Rabbi Rafi Peretz and suggested that the public chooses between you for the education minister.

"Rabbi Peretz is unfit. He is an unenlightened person."

Q: He was the chief military rabbi, an IAF pilot.

"So let him serve as CEO of El Al. He cannot be education minister and educate children here. A person who supports conversion therapy for homosexuals, not just in words, but in deeds. He himself said that he had carried out conversion therapies. It's absolutely shocking and outrageous. Children in the LGBTQ+ community are not lumps of wood – they have a heart, they have a soul. They must be addressed, and the last person who can do this is Rafi Peretz. This is not an educational issue. And I haven't even mentioned the fact that he belittles the importance of the education that the system needs to give students.

"Education ministers with a background in religious Zionism, like Bennet and Peretz, have ruined the public school system, have damaged its budgets, done away with content on democracy and civics, have encouraged 'religification' and separation between girls and boys, and have fostered politicization of the education system through school visits to the territories and allowing religious organizations into the classroom.

"Meretz's education ministers – Shulamit Aloni, Amnon Rubinstein, and Yossi Sarid - left a legacy, and we want to restore it to its former glory. The education system is not registered on the name of religious Zionism. We want a state system that looks after the religious, secular, Arabs and periphery. This is far from being the case today.

"Schools should not be synagogues. Judaism and tradition are important, but the education system is meant to offer a far broader and more open education. My goal is to equate the status of the state school system to that of the religious system. We will look after children from age zero, and we will teach them to read before First Grade; we will increase teachers' salaries and do away with parental payments. That's the Compulsory Education Law, no?"

Q: How will you do this? From where will you get the money?

"The state already spends a fortune on the education system, but the funds are not managed properly. We have a whole plan that changes the budgetary priorities. There are dividends from natural resources that are meant to come in, and we will make sure that they come in much faster than currently planned.

"Improving teachers' pay is not an expense, it is an investment in human capital that will make our students much better. The level of education in Israel is low. Students finish 12 years of education without skills. We will make sure that there are good people in the system, and that will return the investment severalfold."

Q: If Gantz wants to form a government and will need Bennett, what will you say to him?

"Yamina of Rabbi Rafi and Bezalel Smotrich, not to mention their friends, is extremist and fanatical. As the phrase goes – not on our watch."

Q: You didn't mention Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked. Can you see a scenario where they join such a government and split from the rest of Yamina?

"I find it difficult to believe. The distance and the difference between us is so great, and we have red lines. There must be some agreement around a common ground to enable a functioning government. I don't see that happening with Yamina."

Q: Could you live with ultra-Orthodox parties joining the coalition?

"I do not rule out cooperation with the ultra-Orthodox if the basis is a center-left government. They can join and be additional partners, as long as there is agreement on social and diplomatic policy guidelines. The ultra-Orthodox will also have to compromise on issues such as religion and state, for example on public transport on the Sabbath and civil marriage. The fact that hundreds of thousands of people cannot get married here is something that cannot continue, and the same is true of public transport on the Sabbath – which has been a huge success story for cities in the Dan region.

Q: And what are you willing to come towards them on?

"I am willing to come towards them on the military draft. Half of 18-year-olds do not go into the army today, and the numbers are only increasing. We have to change our outlook. The IDF itself doesn't need all those enlisting.

"I suggest that the army recruits the people it needs, and that there is a civil national service, which will include the ultra-Orthodox and the Arabs. They can help the elderly at home, work in the community in hospitals. The mantra of 'full mobilization' is outdated. The army doesn't want or need it. We need fresh solutions."

Q: You were a foreign news editor for year – how do you see Trump's term in the White House?

"I have no position on the US elections, but the incitement from Trump towards groups of the population bothers me. American Jews have also been harmed by the atmosphere of hatred and the incendiary discourse, which has gotten worse during his term. I don't think he's anti-Semitic, but where there is a racist and hateful discourse towards foreigners and immigrants, Jews are also harmed. Anti-Semitism in the US has increased – and that's linked to his style.

"Netanyahu made a mistake by going full tilt with Trump, neglecting the relationship with the Democrat Party. He has caused damage that will need to be fixed."

Q: When the history books are written, how will Netanyahu be remembered as prime minister?

"He is a talented and educated man with many abilities, but he will be remembered in a negative way because in recent years, he has gone in bad directions that have caused damage. All his attempts to stop the legal proceedings against him failed. He has to stop damaging the justice system because this is damaging faith in the state."

Q: And Benny Gantz is made from the stuff of prime ministers?

"I believe so. I have spent many hours with him. He is a wise and level-headed person, who takes a broad view. He could be a good prime minister, and we will be by his side to strengthen him. Blue and White is not a left-wing party. I would rather we influence him, and not Yoaz Hendel.

The post 'Israeli politics embody the art of the possible, even when sometimes it looks impossible' appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.